Rack for drinking glasses



Dec. 29, 1953 c, U T M I 2 ,664,207

RACK FOR DRINKING GLASSES Filed Jan. 14, 1953 INVENTOR. Qua/21022272401?@Lig/ Patented Dec. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,664,207 RAoKFOR DRINKING GLASSES Cesar Bustamante, Elmhurst, 'N. Y. ApplicationJanuary 14, 1953, Serial No. 331,246

- 1 This invention relates to improvements in'racks for supportingdrinking glasses, and the like, in draining position, and particularly,to portable 3 Claims. (Cl; 211 74) racks for household use, although, ifdesired, the

improved rack can be advantageously used in restaurants, lunch counters,etc, and in automatic dishwashing machines. The rack can be used as acarrier for the drinking glasses as well as a stationary holder orsupport.

In the household, as well as in restaurants and other eating places,when drinking glasses are not in use, it is desirable for sanitaryreasons to support them in inverted, or in substantially invertedposition and with their rims out of contact with storage shelves onwhich they are placed. However, the racks for this purpose as heretoforeconstructed have been unsatisfactory for one reason or another. One ofthe common forms of such racks consists of a. frame supporting a seriesof upstanding pins or pegs. Such a rack is objectionable because theglasses are not firmly held in position, and because the glassessupported on these pegs may assume a great number of different positionsso that they do not'present a neat appearance.

The primaryobject of the present invention is to provide a rack which isso constructed'as to support the desired number of drinking glasses, orthe like, securely and firmly in inverted, or draining, position, sothat, if desired, the entire group of glasses may be easily moved fromone place to another without danger of breakage. For example, in thehousehold, the glasses may be placed on the rack directly from thewashing or cleansing operation and allowed to dry. Thereafter the entirerack containing a half dozen, a dozen or more glasses, may be placed instorage cupboards without again touching or handling the individualglasses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack which will supportthe glasses with their axes approximately parallel so that the entiregroup presents a neat appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drinking glass rackwhich will accommodate glasses, goblets, etc. which vary in size over aconsiderable range.

The invention will be understood by considering the accompanyingdrawings together with the following description thereof.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a rack which is intended to hold eight (8)drinking glasses in two (2) rows of four (4) each;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

.Fig. 3 is a detailed section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. I

Referring now to these drawings, the rack of the present inventioncomprises substantially vertical, flat frame members I and la arrangedin parallel, spaced relation and joined together by cross members 2.These frame members are preferably made of a suitable molded plasticmaterial, although they'also'may be made of wood. metal or any otherconvenientand suitable material. Although Fig. 2shows'the'frame membersl and la and cross members 2 as being made integral, it will beunderstood that'they may be made separate, and cross members 2 may bemade in any convenient form to'produce a composite structure. Framemembers! and la are shown as having front and rear leg portions 3 and 4but, again, the supporting legs may'be made'in any convenient form andattached to-the frames in any convenient way.

Frame members rand "Ia are each provided with a series of supports aboutto be described and preferably arranged at progressively higher levelsso as to support the glasses one-slightly above the-other, a shownFig.1. The supports are also arranged to hold the glasses in drainingposition but-this may var'y'from a position Where the axes of theglasses are substantially vertical to an even less tilted angle thanshown. I}

Each of the frames"! and m is provided-with a series of upwardlydirected projections 5, and

each of these-projections carries -a'support'for one of the individualdrinking glasses 6. These supports are indicated generally by referencenumeral 1, and each support comprises a pair of fingers 8 and 9 whichare mounted in horizontal position and spaced apart onopposite sides ofthe axis of the glass -to'-be su-ppor-ted and-on opposite sides of thesupporting projection 5 of the frame. These finger are positioned abovethe rim ID of the glass, and preferably a substantial distance abovethis rim. With tall, slender glasses, this position may be somewhat lessthan midway of the height of the glass, and with shorter glasses, it maybe somewhat above the midway position.

Below and substantially in a plane passing through the fingers 8 and 9there is arranged a plate-like member ll having downwardly divergingedges 1 2 and I3 symmetrically positioned with respect to a planepassing through the axis of the glass at right angles to the planethrough the fingers i3 and 9. In other words, fingers 8 and 9 arepositioned in a horizontal line extending at right angles to the planeof frames 1 01' la, and

3 plate-like member II is also disposed at right angles to this plane.

Because of the arrangement described, the two fingers 8 and 9 willcontact the interior surface of a glass placed over the support, and therim of the glass will engage the diverging edges [2 and [3 of plate-likemember I I at points on these edges, the location of which depends uponthe diameter of the rim H] of the glass. Engaging the exterior surfaceof the glass and forming part of the support I there is a third finger Hwhich may be formed on the lower end of the projection 5 for theadjacent glass above. It will be understood, however, that at theuppermost support I a special projection 5a is provided on the frameupon the lower edge of which projection the third finger H for thissupport is carried.

The third finger I4 is positioned vertically intermediate the pair offingers 8 and 9 and the two points where the rim I engages the taperingedges I2 and I3 of plate-like member II, and is also horizontally midwaybetween the fingers 8 and 9 and the edges l2 and I3. In other words, thepoint where the third finger i4 engages the exterior surface of theglass is above the rim it.

By means of this construction of support, the glass is engaged at fourpoints on its interior surface and the inner edge of its rim, and at onepoint on its outside surface, thus providing a five point wedgingcontact or engagement of the glass which securely and firmly holds theindividual lass.

This five point support I for each of the individual glasses supportsthem in such a way that no part of the glass touches the frame except atthe five points of support. To this end, the projections and 5a are cutaway, as shown at l5, and the upper edges of projections 5 are sloped atsuch an angle as to clear the rims of the glasses. The upper edges ofthese projections 5 and also of projections 5a are sloped or curved soas to provide guiding surfaces for directing the glasses into positionwhen they are placed upon their respective supports.

By means of this invention there has been provided a simple andeffective support for one or any desired number of glasses whereby theglasses can be securely and firmly engaged and held so that the rack canbe moved about as desired without danger of glasses dropping therefrom,and without any sense of such danger on the part of the person handlingthe rack.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details ofconstruction and arrangement of the rack, the scope of the inventionbeing set forth in the appended claims.

I claim;

1. A drinking glass rack having a frame, a sup.- port thereon forholding an individual drinking glass in inverted position, said supportcomprising a pair of horizontally spaced fingers disposed to engage theinterior surface of the inverted glass above the rim thereof, aplate-like member having downwardly diverging edges disposed below saidfingers and arranged to engage the rim of the glass at two spaced pointswhose positions depend upon the diameter of the glass, and a thirdfinger disposed vertically intermediate said spaced fingers and the rimengaging portions of said plate-like member and horizontally midwaybetween said pair of fingers and arranged to engage the exterior surfaceof the glass.

2. A portable drinking glass rack for a group of glasses having a frame,a plurality of supports thereon each holding an individual drinkingglass in inverted position and comprising a pair of horizontally spacedfingers disposed to engage the interior surface of the inverted glassabove the rim thereof, a plate-like member having downwardly-divergingedges disposed below and in the plane of said fingers and arranged toengage the rim of the glass at two spaced points substantially in saidpiane and the positions of which depend upon the diameter of the glass,and a third finger disposed vertically intermediate said spaced fingersand the rim engaging portions of said plate-like member and horizontallymidway between said pair of fingers and arranged to engage the exteriorsurface of the glass.

3. A dri iking glass rack for a group of glasses having a frame, aplurality of projections on the upper edge of said frame disposed atprogressively higher elevations, each of said projections having fixedthereto a pair of horizontally spaced fingers disposed to engage theinterior surface of an inverted glass above the rim thereof, and aplatelike member having downwardly diverging edges disposed below saidfingers and arranged to engage the rim of the glass at two spaced pointswhose positions depend upon the diameter of the glass, and a thirdfinger fixed to the lower end of the projection next above and disposedvertically intermediate said spaced fingers and the rim engagingportions of said plate-like member and arranged to engage the exteriorsurface of the glass.

CESAR BUSTAMANTE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date D. 45,139 Abhath Jan. 13, 1914 850,381 Lohmann Apr. 16, 1907898,584 La Bau Sept. 15, 1908 1,263,866 Darnall Apr. 23, 1918 2,553,180Fromme May 15, 1951

